]]>Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful. — Norman Vincent Peale

Christmas Trees are Magic

Even before I had heard of the tree in The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, I knew Christmas trees had a magical quality—especially in the hands of my father. As a child it seemed to me that Dad could make a scrawny but live Christmas tree “grow” like the tree in The Nutcracker ballet with the use of a drill and a few strategically placed scrap branches.

An undernourished tree would be courageously nailed onto a makeshift stand. With drill in hand, Dad would go to work. Forty-five minutes and a few “ding-dang its” later, a plump balsam pine would stand proudly in our living room, its scent drifting through our small house. This was the signal that the tree was ready to be adorned with well-loved ornaments, strings of colored lights, and the final glittering accessory, what we called “icicles.”

Tinsel strands were placed carefully on the tips of branches, dressing The Tree in a cape of silver. The tinsel sparkled and moved slightly when you walked by. Tinsel of my childhood was regular aluminum-based strands, or the deluxe kind, because it felt heavier, which was lead-based. Little did we know the lead-based jewels were a bit toxic. This increased concern caused it to be fazed out in the ‘60s, and replaced with plastic (PVC-coated or Mylar) tinsel. Okay, it lessened the lead poisoning possibility, but didn’t have quite the heft or gentle sway.

Is There Really a Correct Way to Tinsel the Tree?

Our family ascribed to the “just one, or a few strands at a time” method of tinsel placement. Woe to any impulsive child who gave in to the urge to fling a handful of tinsel up towards the top branches. The result in my memory is a softly lit, green-jeweled visitor residing in our home for the Christmas season, lighting and softening our world.

A Tree-Trimming Tradition

Out on my own after college, I started my own tree-trimming parties. Family and friends decorated my tree as I went through the cut-your-own era. When Hank and I got married, we’d don our Santa hats, drive to the Christmas tree place, point, and “We’ll take that one.” The wonderful Matarazzo’s Farm in North Caldwell New Jersey would deliver.

Ten years ago Hank and I invested in a masterpiece– a ten-foot pre-lit artificial tree. Family and friends who love the spirit of Christmas help us trim the tree. There is always carol-singing, parodies of holiday songs, eating with abandon, and most of all, trimming the tree.

Each Christmas, for two decades we tinseled our tree. (Can tinsel be a verb?) I smile as I remember the variety of tinseling styles—one-strand decorators, drapers, handful flingers. Expert tinselers evolved to teasingly guide the newer and younger tinselers to “try one strand at a time, hung just so.” A dear friend was crowned the Tinsel King. His style and patience in tinseling were unsurpassed. The Annual Tinsel Tony Award for the best tinseler raised tinseling techniques to the level of a fine art.

Alas, the popularity of tinseling has lessened and now we no longer use tinsel on the tree. Less tinsel means more lights and a glut of ornaments. The Tinseled Tree has been replaced by the someday-soon-to-be-famous Tinsel Singers, a growing number of singers in sparkly wigs, who lead the holiday songs.

What’s on the Tree?

Our collection of ornaments is a parade of memories. Over twenty-eight years of teaching, I was gifted with ornaments like a miniature chalkboard, a clay penguin, wooden sleds and school buses, and tiny books covered with holly. Family ornaments of Santas, and choirboys made of clothespins during my brother-in-law’s craft era adorn the tree. Beaded balls, miniature roller skates, and handmade decorated ornaments glisten near tiny, now LED lights. My sister’s quilted tree skirt surrounds the tree.

Years of travel are chronicled on our tree. Our First Christmas photo ornament, a holly-topped Eiffel Tower, a London phone booth, Park City reindeer, delicate brass ornaments from Rome, Mexico, Hungary, Prague, Paris, Williamsburg, Oregon, Port Jefferson, and New York City. The year we moved to Tucson brought horse and saddle ornaments and seven little cowboy boots.

The trimming of the tree is three hours by the clock, but I think everyone is touched by the magic of Christmas for the entire season. What is the magic of Christmas for you?

]]>https://etheleemiller.com/there-is-holiday-magic-in-a-christmas-tree/feed/0Feeling Pride In My Writing- and a gift for youhttps://etheleemiller.com/feeling-pride-in-my-writing-and-a-gift-for-you/
https://etheleemiller.com/feeling-pride-in-my-writing-and-a-gift-for-you/#respondWed, 12 Dec 2018 19:27:48 +0000https://etheleemiller.com/?p=3348Modesty is Esteemed in Our Culture But a little self-promotion sometimes marches to the top of the list of personal characteristics. I am so proud and happy to have my story, “My Mother’s Beauty,” as part of the 2018 anthology from Story Circle Network’s, Real Women Write: Sharing Our Stories, Sharing Our Lives – coming in January. […]

But a little self-promotion sometimes marches to the top of the list of personal characteristics. I am so proud and happy to have my story, “My Mother’s Beauty,” as part of the 2018 anthology from Story Circle Network’s, Real Women Write: Sharing Our Stories, Sharing Our Lives – coming in January.

I’ve submitted many, many articles, stories and manuscripts over the last twenty years to agents, publishers, journals, online sites. Many rejected, some accepted, some published. Some got really nice reviews.

The Gift

So why is this one a bit different? “My Mother’s Beauty” about my mom is a love story. My relationship with my mother was often conflicted (You too? Are you nodding your head in agreement?). But in the last decade of her life I was given the gift of being close to her, both geographically and emotionally. Almost daily in the last five years of her life, we sat and talked, laughed, sometimes argued, and cried together. Mostly we built a kind of partnership of mother/daughter that I never, ever expected to experience. A gift. So my pride comes for being able to say, with confidence, to other mothers and daughters, “Don’t turn away. It can happen.”

My sense of accomplishment in my personal writing comes from sitting down again and again at my laptop and writing, editing, revising, and submitting my work. It’s easy to get busy with “stuff”- daily responsibilities and sometimes activities that can pose as responsibilities chipping away at more and more of my creative time. At least once a week I sit. I write. I name it, date it and sometimes file it away. And then, maybe the next day, maybe a few days later, I sit again and open my writing files. And something stirs. “Pick me. Choose me to fix today.”

My pride also comes from believing that Story Circle Network saw something of the possibility of love being shared in my story and accepted it for their anthology. I am in the company of scores of women who share their lives in fiction, non-fiction, and poetry.

A Gift for Three Readers

I’ve ordered extra copies and have three to give away. First three people who contact me with your name and where to send it. Click here, I’ll send you a free copy. Look for it in January 2019. I’ll also let you know when it’s on the way.

“Since 1997, the Story Circle Network, a non-profit exclusively for women writers, has provided learning/writing opportunities in memoir, reminiscence, journaling, fiction, poetry, family stories, kitchen table stories, writing-as-healing, writing for personal growth and spiritual development, poetry, and other areas. We teach general writing skills, organization, and critical editing, as well as technical skills in book design and development, online marketing, blogging, and other Internet-related activities.” –Story Circle Network website Click on SCN if you are interested in joining.

“When the storyteller tells the truth, she reminds us that human beings are more alike than unalike… A story is what it’s like to be a human being–to be knocked down and to miraculously arise. Each one of us has arisen, awakened. We do rise.” —Maya Angelou

What story calls to you today?

Ethel Lee-Miller blogs regularly about people, the power of words, and the writing life. She is the author of Thinking of Miller Place, and Seedlings, Stories of Relationships. She also enjoys sharing stories at Odyssey Storytelling, Tucson Tellers of Tales, and just about any where there’s a mic.

]]>https://etheleemiller.com/feeling-pride-in-my-writing-and-a-gift-for-you/feed/0The Montclair Write Group Sampler 2018- in your home for the holidays!https://etheleemiller.com/the-montclair-write-group-sampler-2018-in-your-home-for-the-holidays/
https://etheleemiller.com/the-montclair-write-group-sampler-2018-in-your-home-for-the-holidays/#respondWed, 12 Dec 2018 18:13:36 +0000https://etheleemiller.com/?p=3344 Does Anyone Wear White Gloves Anymore? Do you own a pair of white gloves? Do you recall when wearing white gloves was not to augment a costume, but was touted as a sign of “good breeding”? Times have changed. I’m so excited to have my story “White Gloves” as part of the Montclair Write Group […]

Do you own a pair of white gloves? Do you recall when wearing white gloves was not to augment a costume, but was touted as a sign of “good breeding”? Times have changed. I’m so excited to have my story “White Gloves” as part of the Montclair Write Group Sampler 2018. Read about my experience with white gloves in 1969! The Sampler is filled with entertainment, nostalgia, and literary food for thought.

I’m in good company. The Montclair Write Group Sampler 2018 is a collection of thirty works by Write Group members and is now available for download. And it’s free! My work will be found under the memoir section and the title is “White Gloves.”

Holiday Idea:

For you, for the reader in your life, for a quick, easy, and very entertaining free holiday gift. You can download a copy of this ebook at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/893451

]]>https://etheleemiller.com/the-montclair-write-group-sampler-2018-in-your-home-for-the-holidays/feed/0Alvin Ailey and Dancinghttps://etheleemiller.com/alvin-ailey-and-dancing/
https://etheleemiller.com/alvin-ailey-and-dancing/#respondSun, 02 Dec 2018 16:08:46 +0000https://etheleemiller.com/?p=3336Alvin Ailey Dance Company Turns 60. I remember the first time I saw Alvin Ailey. It was 1969 and I was a freshman at Wagner College on Staten Island. Our modern dance teacher, the wonderful Mrs. Gardner, took a group of us to see him in his troupe. Looking Back to 1969 and Dancing It […]

Alvin Ailey Dance Company Turns 60. I remember the first time I saw Alvin Ailey. It was 1969 and I was a freshman at Wagner College on Staten Island. Our modern dance teacher, the wonderful Mrs. Gardner, took a group of us to see him in his troupe.

Looking Back to 1969 and Dancing

It was the first of many times I saw “Revelations” with Judith Jamison. In the last number that night, Alvin Ailey’s grace and athleticism inspired me to promise myself to always dance. The number ended with the huge back stage door opening (I think it was NY City Center then) and he walked out into the street. Now that was awesome!

Alvin Ailey Dance Co. Today

In a NYT article Dec. 2, Rennie Harris, Ailey dancer in residence, captures it perfectly for me. “Lazarus” is about resurrection and, for Mr. Harris, that circles back to Ailey: With each dancing generation, with every performance of his 1960 masterpiece “Revelations,” Ailey is reborn. “He’s still affecting folk: black, brown, white, indifferent, whatever,” Mr. Harris said. “He’s still affecting the world on a massive scale.”

The arts–whether dance, music, books, storytelling, theater, sculpture, painting, (What did I leave out?) can open my heart, free me from cultural and self-imposed restraints, and leave a wide open path to connect with my self and other people.

What frees you?

This photo and the NYT article started my day off pretty nicely this morning.

Rennie Harris and the Alvin Ailey Dance Company

Ethel Lee-Miller blogs regularly about people, the power of words, and the writing life. She is the author of Thinking of Miller Place, and Seedlings, Stories of Relationships.

Close out 2018 with some quality writing time. Give yourself three gifts – three meetings in December with two hours of uninterrupted writing time each Tuesday. Wireless networking available. Feel free to bring a snack.

Ten minutes of writing talk, stating intentions for the two-hour writing session. Then writing on your own project—longhand, computer, etc.

No fee. This is open to adult writers. Questions? Interested writers click here contact Ethel.

]]>https://etheleemiller.com/eastside-writing-room-8/feed/0Tucson Tellers of Taleshttps://etheleemiller.com/tucson-tellers-of-tales-2/
https://etheleemiller.com/tucson-tellers-of-tales-2/#respondSat, 01 Dec 2018 23:08:24 +0000https://etheleemiller.com/?p=3330TUCSON TELLERS OF TALES Saturday, December 1. 9:30-11:30 AM TOT is a non-profit organization that believes stories need nurturing to live. Our purpose is to preserve oral literature through promotion of the art of storytelling. And it’s done in a thoroughly entertaining and supportive way. In the spirit of the holidays, I’ll be sharing my […]

TOT is a non-profit organization that believes stories need nurturing to live. Our purpose is to preserve oral literature through promotion of the art of storytelling. And it’s done in a thoroughly entertaining and supportive way. In the spirit of the holidays, I’ll be sharing my version of “Let It Snow.” Check the website http://tellersoftalestucson.com

]]>https://etheleemiller.com/tucson-tellers-of-tales-2/feed/0A Thanksgiving Classroom Storyhttps://etheleemiller.com/a-thanksgiving-classroom-story/
https://etheleemiller.com/a-thanksgiving-classroom-story/#commentsTue, 20 Nov 2018 09:15:57 +0000https://etheleemiller.com/?p=3325People are always surprised when they find out I can cook. I can, really I can. It’s just that it’s not something I’d choose to do for fun. This year Thanksgiving dinner is at our house. After reviewing family recipes for gravy and stuffing, using my 800 number, aka my older sister, for some tips, […]

]]>People are always surprised when they find out I can cook. I can, really I can. It’s just that it’s not something I’d choose to do for fun. This year Thanksgiving dinner is at our house. After reviewing family recipes for gravy and stuffing, using my 800 number, aka my older sister, for some tips, and looking at holiday magazines, I recalled when the exuberance of youth and some pretty hefty pride led me to cook my first turkey.

For your Thanksgiving entertainment, I give you “Kindergarten Cuisine.”

True, all true! Mrs. Ball, the wonderful kids, my naïveté, and that little white stove that taught me about lots more than cooking.

“Is it ready yet?” a child’s high-pitched voice asked. The room was filled with the delicious aroma of turkey. Nineteen mouths were waiting to be fed. Was it Grandma’s house? No, it was my sunlit kindergarten classroom in New Jersey, the Tuesday before Thanksgiving.

When I was a young and single teacher, I was extremely dedicated to my job. I knew I made a positive difference in the lives of my young students. That November morning I was also suffering from one of those“I-said-I’m-gonna-do-it-and-by-golly-I’ll-do-it”moments. In my personal life, I prided myself on cooking as little as possible. Strange to some, but to each his own. Pots and pans I had received as apartment gifts still nested in their boxes. My oven had that over-brilliant gleam only seen in new appliances. I had never, ever, cooked a turkey.

I was forced to re-examine my indifference to cooking when I changed my teaching assignment from third grade to kindergarten. I moved to Room 101, a spacious carpeted room with cozy reading area, sandbox area, and housekeeping corner complete with sink and a real stove!

The previous teacher had received an educational grant to purchase the stove for cooking. She had a positive zeal for multi-sensory learning. She did math lessons by baking brownies. Literature was a reading of Stone Soup and stirring up vegetable soup. Her classes finger-painted with chocolate pudding. Of course, her holiday feast of Pilgrims and Native Americans was topped off with the baking aromas of bread, or cookies, or cranberry or applesauce. Each November, aromas from Mrs. Ball’s classroom drifted upwards to the third, fourth, and fifth grade rooms, producing a remarkable increase in volunteers to “go help the kindergarteners.”

When Mrs. Ball retired, I inherited her classroom. How could I not carry on this culinary tradition? I could do the brownies, pudding, and stone soup. But what could I do for Thanksgiving that was really special? Got it! I’d cook a Thanksgiving turkey. How hard could it be?

To simplify, I had pre-cooked some stuffing the night before and crammed it inside any opening I could find in the turkey. The turkey was in the roasting pan when my munchkins entered the classroom.

“Look, there’s our turkey. It looks funny!” High-pitched gobbles filled the classroom. Small bodies demonstrated a kindergartener’s rendition of a turkey strut. We approached the stove, that sacred place where so many roasting pans and baking sheets had been placed in with loving hands and emerged bearing a tasty treat.

In went Little Tom, for he was just big enough to carve a taste for each tiny mouth, yet small enough to cook during the kindergarten session.

The wait was interminable. The Pilgrims donned their wide, white paper collars and large, but lopsided, black paper hats. The Native Americans pulled on burlap vests, which I had whipped up on my old Singer sewing machine. I may have been a novice in the kitchen, but I knew my way around a sewing machine.

“My mother makes the best turkey,” declared one outspoken Pilgrim.

“Who do you cook a turkey for if you live alone?” a young philosopher asked.

“How will we know when it’s done?” queried another little one. Hey, I had done my homework. I knew about that little pop-up thermometer.

Near the end of our kindergarten morning, the moment arrived. Out he came from the oven. Oh, he looked beautiful. Golden brown and juicy. “Aahs” mixed with the aroma as Little Tom made his debut. Now, to carve. I gave the blades of my never-been-used electric carving knife a test buzz. The children appreciated the drama of this.

Off came a diminutive drumstick. Zip! Off came the other one. Slicing down into the chest cavity, the blades snagged and stopped. Something glistened from the center.

What made me suddenly, but belatedly, think of it? Where were all the insides? Words like gizzard, liver, heart flashed though my brain. Anxiety gripped me. They were inside! The glistening was their wrapping. Paper wrapping—still inside.

Now when people are caught in an outright mistake, self-help books gently advise: Admit and accept mistakes. Laugh. Move on. However, it’s much better to tell how you have accepted, laughed, and moved on after the fact, not while you are in it. Pride takes over when you are in it. Save face! Regroup! Think fast!

Their little heads turned, their bodies moved to the table lured by the thought of actually munching turkey slices and downing apple cider.

Swiftly I got a death grip on the bit of paper poking through the chest cavity. With a twist and a tug, the bag of innards ejected with kind of long plop! I wrapped it in some paper towels.

“Well, my feasters, we’re going to have white meat and dark meat. No stuffing today. That part of it just didn’t work out.”

Most of them accepted this, eagerly holding up paper plates for their taste. All but my loyal Pilgrim who looked at his meager offering and pronounced, “My mother still makes the best turkey.”

~~~

If you enjoyed this story, pull out your copy of Seedlings, Stories of Relationships, p. 118. Why not read it to your family? Seedlings also makes a lovely holiday gift. Click here to buy an author-inscribed copy with Pay Pal, or go to Amazon.

Ethel Lee-Miller blogs regularly about people, the power of words, and the writing life. She is the author of Thinking of Miller Place, and Seedlings, Stories of Relationships.

We begin at 11:30 but gather @ 11:15. Ten min. of writing talk, stating intentions for the two-hour writing session, and then writing on your own project—longhand, computer etc. This is for writing only. No critique.

]]>https://etheleemiller.com/eastside-writing-room-for-adults-writing-support-group-in-tucson/feed/2Don’t Go It Alone With Your Bloghttps://etheleemiller.com/dont-go-it-alone-with-your-blog/
https://etheleemiller.com/dont-go-it-alone-with-your-blog/#respondFri, 02 Nov 2018 21:16:10 +0000https://etheleemiller.com/?p=3305It seems as soon as I feel like I’ve got a grip on a “how-to” of the digital aspect of my writing life, especially blogging – it changes. But just as the workings of social media and online informations can be daunting, those workings are also my greatest resources. I’m a blogger and I love […]

]]>It seems as soon as I feel like I’ve got a grip on a “how-to” of the digital aspect of my writing life, especially blogging – it changes. But just as the workings of social media and online informations can be daunting, those workings are also my greatest resources.

I’m a blogger and I love the online freedom to share what I’ve learned about the craft of writing, about people and this wonderful, crazy world. In order to get my ideas better organized, to reach my audience to let them know what I’m writing about, I’ve cruised, watched, and signed up with quite a few online “teachers.” Not all promote themselves as teachers, but I learn something each time I check in.

After a recent workshop that I gave sharing this info, I’ve had requests to share the resources again.

Grab a cup of coffee and settle to get some great sites and ideas. Here they are with my gratitude and thanks for my online helpers who educate and inspire me.

Online Resources and Author Blogs

Free weekly or bi-weekly e newsletters with great articles. Subscribe or just go to the site to get a dose of good ideas and current trends. For each resource, I have listed the site name, a brief description of what they do, and a sample from one of their blogs or article with the site’s link.

Authors Community Free or paid membership.

· Opt-in/opt-out membership. No contracts or long-term commitments.

Where you learn from and share ideas with other authors. Self-led environment, so no pressure. Gain expert knowledge and help from our professional staff and vendor team.

Figuring out what motivates you to blog will help you in more ways than you can count. Is it because your publisher requires it? That doesn’t bode well for continual blogging. Is it to help build your writing skills? Is it to help organize your memoir? Is it because you want to __________?…In my experience of blogging since 2005 and column writing since 2006, a blogger will have a lot of consumers of material but few responses to the posts. It’s because most bloggers don’t frame their posts in an information exchange effort (give a little ask a question, give a little more ask another question). Encouraging responses is a major key to building community…https://authorscommunity.net/blog-why-blog-what/#ixzz5U7lf7fUR

Chuck Sambuchino has been in the writing field more than fifteen years and seems to stay up to date on every trend so his blog ideas are on target too.

Dustn.TV Dustin W. Stout “Cut through social media clutter” and blogging tips. A mix of practical ideas and social media software.

Sample: “Writing an Epic Blog Post” 1. Two-Thousand Word Minimum

Does your blog post have a minimum of 2,000 words? Look, I wish we still lived in the days where 300-500 word blog posts were a thing that worked. But they just don’t anymore. With the sheer volume of content being produced these days (and it is staggering how much is being produced), short and sweet articles just aren’t cutting it anymore. Don’t believe me?… https://dustn.tv/blog-post-checklist

Sample: “Did Google Demote Your Blog?” Step 4 — Choose the Right Name

You may already have a blog name that you use. But if you are updating your blog, this is a good time to ask yourself if your current blog name is working for you. If you don’t have a blog yet, then of course you need a name.

Do a little brainstorming to choose the best possible name to promote your books. Many authors just use their names, or their names with some keyword — like JaneDoesBooks.com. Give it some thought, research other authors’ blog names for ideas, write down your ideas, ask your friends and family, and then make a decision…

Sample: “Blogging Mistakes to Avoid” by Justin Penrose

Not Including Images Omitting images from your blog is one of the blog design mistakes that seems to be becoming less common, as bloggers continue to get feedback from their viewers that they want and expect some form of visual media in a blog post.

Jane Friedman

Ms. Friedman has been around for decades addressing social media and publishing trends. Sign up for her weekly newsletter summarizing her blog posts and other recommendations.

Sample: “What Should Authors Blog About?”

Here are several models to consider, based on how challenging I think they are (assuming you want your blog to “pay off”).

Easy: The Literary Citizenship Model If you’re not familiar with literary citizenship, you can read more about my views on it here. It basically means celebrating and bringing attention to authors, writing, and books—the things you presumably love and want to support.

Easy-Medium: How-to Model Many seasoned authors have considerable advice and insight for others—and the audience of aspiring writers and established authors is massive.

Medium: Behind the Scenes ModelYou write about the research, people, news stories, or current events that play a role in the construction of your books or other work.

Difficult: Personal Essay or Daily Life Model Regardless of genre, some writers write short missives—that can extend into personal essays—that comment on what’s happening day to day or that reflect on their personal life. This could also involve regular posting of specific media, such as photos or videos. https://www.janefriedman.com/blog/

Sample: “MARKETING YOUR BLOG” Writing a blog and then having no one read it- soul-crushing. I don’t want that to happen to you! The checklist covers setting up social media accounts, a newsletter and optimizing for search engines!…

SiteProNews Tech.

Social media and search engine news

Sample: “Blogging Trends You Need to Follow in 2018-2019” by Harry Southworth

Trend: Longer and deeper. New trends in blogging dictate the rule: the longer, the better. People are tired of kitsch content, short messages they read while taking a taxi or waiting in a line. Although a time killer, people now want informative and meaningful content. Most, however, have neither the time nor motivation to read books. That is why long posts with more informative content have become more and more attractive. People prefer to think of blogs as a means for broadening their mindset…

Story Circle Network. A national community of writers.

Sample: From SCN’s Blog page by members “The Space Between Words” by Linda Wiseniewski

Author and speaker Charles Eisenstein says our world looks so crazy because we are in “the space between stories.” The old story said our society was sound, our ecology was fine and our economy was just. But that old story is falling apart, and many of us are afraid. We want to go back, when life was safe, stable… We are in what Eisenstein calls “a period of true unknowing.” We are between stories. https://storycirclenetwork.wordpress.com

The Writing Cooperative “A community of people who help each other write better.”

Weekly newsletter. The Writing Cooperative Founder Steven Spatz. writer, marketer and president of BookBaby, a leading self-publishing company (www.bookbaby.com).

Sample:“Blogging”

Ultimately, there are three key factors that should be considered:At the end of the day, if you’re deciding whether or not to start a blog, you need to consider the following:

What is your experience level?If you’re a new or inexperienced author, a blog can be an excellent place for you to hone your skills. It’s an excellent way to find expression, discipline, and experience. But if you already have a strong following or have scant time to devote to any kind of writing, you might say no to blogging.

What’s your genre or subject matter?If you write non-fiction, a blog is essential. This is where you can really demonstrate your subject matter expertise. Your posts will amplify anything you publish. Romance writer? Are you going to be tempted to leak out some of your plot twists or interesting character developments? Maybe you should keep these private.

What’s your motivation for blogging?Are you looking to just get revenue from your online writing? That blog ship has sailed. But if you’re blogging to cultivate readers, give people a chance to get to know you, gain followers, and establish a tribe, then a blog might be a great use of your time…

Writers Digest. American magazine and online site for writers at all levels.

Sample: “8 Things Every Blogging Writer Should Know” by Chris Higgins. Ask Commenters to Contribute: This is very, very important. Whenever you make a list of things, end it by asking readers what you left out. This makes the inevitable “You left out Wiseniewski awesome thing!” comment a happy collaboration rather than an indictment of the blogger’s intelligence. I can’t tell you how many times people have commented: “I can’t believe you didn’t include [some obscure nerd thing], furthermore [you are an idiot] and [should be fired].” But when I invite people to contribute, they do so gladly.

Such a simple lesson. Worth so much. Do it. Also, you’ll often get people giving you links that lead to new posts down the road.

]]>https://etheleemiller.com/dont-go-it-alone-with-your-blog/feed/0Tucson Tellers of Taleshttps://etheleemiller.com/tucson-tellers-of-tales/
https://etheleemiller.com/tucson-tellers-of-tales/#respondFri, 02 Nov 2018 19:00:24 +0000https://etheleemiller.com/?p=3315TUCSON TELLERS OF TALES Saturday, November 3. 9:30-11:30 AM “TOT is a non-profit organization that believes stories need nurturing to live. Our purpose is to preserve oral literature through promotion of the art of storytelling.” And it’s done in a thoroughly entertaining and supportive way. In the spirit of Thanksgiving I hope to share my […]

“TOT is a non-profit organization that believes stories need nurturing to live. Our purpose is to preserve oral literature through promotion of the art of storytelling.” And it’s done in a thoroughly entertaining and supportive way. In the spirit of Thanksgiving I hope to share my “Kindergarten Cuisine” from Seedlings, Stories Of Relationships. Are you interested in being a storyteller? Got a story you want to polish? Join us at our monthly meeting and Story Swaps. Check the website: http://tellersoftalestucson.com